Send Money to South America with Stablecoins
The best way to send money to South America with stablecoins depends on which country you are sending to — a dollarized economy like Ecuador answers a different question than peso-denominated Colombia or Peru. This is the hub for how each Andean corridor works today, what it costs, and where dollar-settled rails actually change the math.
Together, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador take in an estimated $10 billion a year from the United States alone, at average fees of roughly 4.0% to 4.5% (World Bank / KNOMAD estimates). That is billions of dollars a year skimmed off money meant for families — and it moves over rails that were built for a slower world.
The problem: one continent, several different corridors
There is no single “South America transfer.” Each lane has its own providers, its own fee floor, and its own reason for existing.
| Corridor | Est. annual volume from US | Typical fee | Who dominates the lane |
|---|---|---|---|
| US → Colombia | ~$5B (rising) | ~4.0% | Western Union, banks, Remitly |
| US → Peru | ~$2.5B (rising) | ~4.5% | Western Union, banks |
| US → Ecuador | ~$2.5B (rising) | ~4.0% | Western Union, banks |
The global average cost to send money across borders is about 6.36% (World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide). The Andean corridors beat that average — but “better than the worst” is still a family losing four cents on every dollar, plus an exchange-rate margin most providers fold in quietly, plus one to three business days of waiting while the money clears a chain of correspondent banks.
The pressures differ, too. Colombia carries the weight of Venezuelan onward migration and a peso that swings against the dollar. Peru’s diaspora is younger and growing fast. Ecuador is fully dollarized — its national currency is the US dollar — which makes the case for a dollar-native rail unusually clean.
The solution: dollars that move at the speed of a message
A stablecoin is a digital dollar that holds a 1:1 value with the US dollar. Instead of handing cash to a chain of banks and waiting, a licensed operator moves the dollar value itself over the internet, then pays out in local currency — or, in Ecuador, in the same dollars that arrived.
For the person receiving the money, the practical differences are three: the amount that leaves is the amount that arrives minus a fee you can see; it settles in the same session rather than “in 1–3 business days”; and the rate is not buried.
Movement is the settlement and yield layer that fintechs and remittance operators use to run corridors like these for emerging markets. Blocks confirm in 278 milliseconds and transfers settle in under a second, over licensed money-transmission rails in the US, Canada and the EU. It sits underneath the app you send from — you will rarely see the name at the point of send — but it is the rail a growing number of dollar corridors into Latin America are built on. For operators, Movement can also put idle settlement float to work through separate, opt-in yield products; that is an operator feature, not a promise of interest to anyone holding a coin.
Trust: why we cover the region this way
We build these guides one corridor at a time because that is how the money actually moves. Our figures come from the World Bank bilateral remittance matrix and KNOMAD, labeled as estimates and dated on every page; the provider lists reflect who is genuinely active in each lane. Movement operates over licensed rails in the US, Canada and the EU and works with partners across 160+ countries. Proof points include Hesab, a self-custody bank in Afghanistan issuing close to a million Visa cards on Movement’s rail, and a $1 billion corridor agreement with Zoth. We don’t draw the eye. We shake the hand — this is infrastructure, and we are an independent guide, not a transmitter.
Where to go next
- Colombia, the region’s largest US corridor: how to send money to Colombia.
- Peru, where the fee bite runs highest: sending money to Peru, fees explained.
- Ecuador, the dollarized case: why digital dollars fit Ecuador best.
- Background: why dollarization changes the savings math and how the South American diaspora sends money home.
Operators building an Andean corridor can look at Movement’s infraestructura de corredores directly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to send money to South America? On headline fees, the Colombia and Ecuador corridors are typically cheapest (around 4.0%), with Peru a little higher (around 4.5%). But the stated fee is only half the cost — always check the exchange-rate margin layered on top, and the settlement delay. Dollar-settled rails compress both, because the value moves in seconds and the rate is shown up front.
Which South American country receives the most from the US? Colombia. The US-to-Colombia corridor is estimated at around $5 billion a year and rising, ahead of Peru and Ecuador at roughly $2.5 billion each (World Bank / KNOMAD estimates).
Is sending money with stablecoins legal in South America? Yes, when it runs through licensed, regulated providers — which is the only way we cover it. The stablecoin is a settlement instrument; a licensed operator still handles the on- and off-ramp and the required identity checks. Avoid any service marketed on skipping those checks.
Does Movement send money for me? No. Movement is settlement infrastructure that fintechs and remittance companies build on. You send through a licensed provider; Movement may be the rail underneath it.
By Mateo Rojas. Last reviewed 2026-07-22. Corridor figures are World Bank / KNOMAD estimates and may change. General information, not financial advice.